Mike De Decker sends clear message after becoming first TV major winner in 20 years to miss out on Darts Premier League
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MIKE DE DECKER has hit back following his surprise Premier League Darts snub. The reigning Grand Prix champion, 29, was overlooked for the 2025 edition of the lucrative eight-man tournament. De Decker enjoyed a mixed 2024, climbing the world rankings to No. 24 and winning his first major TV title.
![[Mike De Decker will not feature in this year's edition of the Darts Premier League]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/quarter-final-match-luke-littler-951854009_b1bfcc.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But The Real Deal also crashed out early from the PDC World Championship, European Championship, and Grand Slam of Darts. Some fans reacted with surprise after he was omitted from the Premier League lineup on Tuesday. De Decker becomes the first player in the tournament's 20-year history to miss out on the lineup after winning a major televised on Sky Sports.
![[The unimpressed Belgian took to social media to make his feelings known]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NINTCHDBPICT000962234234.jpg?strip=all&w=496)
And the Belgian broke his silence on Instagram, quoting a tweet that suggested the snub was "sickening.". Posting on Instagram Stories, De Decker screenshotted an X tweet from Absolute Darts contributor Ben Hudd. It read: "Mike De Decker becomes the first player in the 20-year history of the Premier League to win a major televised on Sky Sports and not be selected. Sickening.".
![[De Decker won his first PDC televised event at the Grand Prix in Leicester]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/mike-de-dekker-belgium-celebrates-940583369.jpg?strip=all&w=724)
De Decker added an eye-roll emoji to the post, which was sent to his 19.3k followers. BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS. Following the snub, PDC chief executive Matt Porter responded to criticism and claimed the Belgian "wasn't quite ready.".
He said: "Mike is an outstanding talent and is someone that undoubtedly we will see in Premier League Darts in the future. "We didn't feel he was quite ready. There's a lot of tournaments throughout the year. "We've seen players in the past, I don't want to embarrass them by naming them, but players like Danny Noppert, Ross Smith and Andrew Gilding that have won TV tournaments.
